DAVID FINDS STRENGTH IN THE LORD HIS GOD
1 Samuel 30:1-31
Key Verse: 30:6b
“But David found strength in the LORD his God.”
Introduction)
David came back to Ziklag by God’s help. But new challenge was waiting for him. He was almost stoned to death by his men. But as a meaningful turning point or a powerful turn, he found strength in the Lord his God. May the Lord help us to find our God and find strength in him.
1. Read verses 1-6. What do David and his men find when they return to Ziklag? (1–3) What do they do when they see what happened? (4) What happened to David’s two wives? (5) Why was David greatly distressed? (6a) What does David find strength in? (6b)
1-1) Read verses 1-6.
David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
1-2) What do David and his men find when they return to Ziklag? (1–3)
David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
On the third day indicates that David and his men came back from Aphek to Ziklag, where they must have anticipated all the happiness of their family members who knew that their husband did not need to fight and possibly lose their lives. But a new challenge was waiting for them!
According to chap. 27:8-11, David raided and killed all people in the Amalekites. It was a counterattack from them.
By God’s grace again, the Amalekites did not kill all the family members of David and his men but they took them away as captives.
1-3) What do they do when they see what happened? (4)
4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. They were really frustrated. Their morale and despair reached to the rock bottom. They even did not think about what to do. They acted as if there was no hope to save them. They were very negative. They paid attention to the negative side rather than positive side. They could find deaths of their family members. So they should be happy and try to find a way to save them. But they only focused on what they have lost and despaired to the bottom.
Spiritually speaking it is Satan’s work to see what we do not have. It is God’s work to see what we have. Jesus asked his disciples to go and see what they had instead of what they did not have. (Mark 6:38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked, “Go and see.”)
1-4) What happened to David’s two wives? (5)
5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
1-5) Why was David greatly distressed? (6a)
6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters.
Then David and his men wept aloud. Out of utter despair David’s men began to think that it happened because their leader David made mistake. They thought “David could have done some other way. But because he chose the way to go with Achish we lost all our family members. He is responsible for this disaster.”
All had been lost. At this point, David has nothing more to support him. No one in Israel can help him. The Philistines would not help him. His family members were gone. All David has owned is gone. But at least he has his friends, his own men, right? Not really; the people spoke of stoning him. They despaired so much that they did not know what they were talking about. In utter despair we can choose to do foolish things.
David himself could have despaired the most. Even before his own men talked about stoning him he could have been crushed thinking that such a disaster came to him and his men because he made a wrong decision. David could have given up and say to his men,, “Okay. If you really want to stone me, go ahead. I am ready to die. But you are responsible for what you are doing.” David did not do it.
He did not sit in self pity. He did not blame his men. He got up and went to God. In our life of faith sometimes we face disasters and troubles which we cannot bear. Such disasters or troubles might have come because of our own mistakes or sins. But we should never despair too much and give up our spiritual battles. As long as God is alive we have hope and God can help us again.
1-6) What does David find strength in? (6b)
But David found strength in the LORD his God.
A) One of the meanings of the word ‘find’ is: “to discover or ascertain through observation, experience, or study.”
When his loyal men almost tried to stone him, David was at a loss.
He did not give in to commit suicide, nor withdraw himself to the solitary place to eat a lot with a great distress and become fat.
He did not go to LA fitness in the city of Ziklag either.
He did not wait for God passively to comfort him.
But David found strength in the LORD his God.
B) First of all, David went to the Lord his God. He remembered his God. When all help was gone he realized that his God is on his side.
When David went to his God the Lord gave him strength. It is expressed “David found strength in the Lord his God.” It is David’s personal experience that he could find strength in the Lord.
The Bible clearly says “We can find strength in the Lord our God.” There is always strength in the Lord our God.” But we cannot find it if we do not come to him and seek it. The word ‘find’ means that David must have ‘sought’ it.
C) Most likely David must have recalled what God had done in his life.
When Saul threw his spear several times, God helped him to escape.
God has sent Jonathan to help him at right time.
God helped him to go back to the right tract through sending Abigail.
Even in the previous chapter God intervened and rescued David from fighting against his own People, the Israelites.
D) When he remembered all of the Lord’s help, he came to the conclusion that the LORD is his God.
His God is a God of David. Looking back on what God has done as a shepherd for him, he could not deny the fact that his life was full of victory.
E) Now such a panoramic view from God’s point of view, he did not engage in human thoughts. Rather he found strength!
Also he must have reminded of God’s promise and overcome his negative thoughts and despair.
We learn from him and his never giving up spirit.
At the worst moment hitting rock bottom, God is our refuge and fortress.
We need to find our own personal God.
2. Read verses 7–20. What does David do? (7-8a) How does God answer his prayer? (8b) What happens to David’s rescue party? (9-10) What do David and his men do for the Egyptian? (11–12) What information does David get from him? (13-14) What does David ask the Egyptian to do? (15) What happens when David and his men find the Amalekites? (16-20)
2-1) Read verses 7–20.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”
He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”
15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”
He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
2-2) What does David do? (7-8a)
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
With God’s strength, now he moved the right direction to ask the Lord.
At the previous chapter where David was backsliding, he did not inquire of the Lord.
But this time at the worst case, he humbly asked God and His help.
The ephod asked Abiathar to use the Urim and Thummim to inquire of the LORD.
They were a pair of stones, indicating “yes” or “no” from God.
David humbly relied on God’s answer instead of relying on his past experience.
In seeking God through the Urim and Thummim, David was really going back to God’s Word for guidance, because it’s the word of God that commanded him.
Today, if we have the same focus on God’s Word, He will guide us also.
2-3) How does God answer his prayer? (8b)
“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
2-4) What happens to David’s rescue party? (9-10)
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
2-5) What do David and his men do for the Egyptian? (11–12)
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
God’s work is done in an unexpected way through an almost dead Egyptian slave.
David and his men could have ignored him and moved on especially when their family members were prison of wars that could have abused or died.
But they showed kindness and gave food to this poor guy.
Sometimes God’s blessing comes in an unexpected way!
In the book of Genesis, Abraham welcomed three strangers with feast and received God’s blessing the most.
2-6) What information does David get from him? (13-14)
13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”
He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”
2-7) What does David ask the Egyptian to do? (15)
15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”
He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
2-8) What happens when David and his men find the Amalekites? (16-20)
16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
The Amalekites might have expected that the Philistines and the Israelites were busy to fight each other and nobody would come after them.
But they were totally wrong.
David and his mighty man chased after them by God’s help.
3. Read verses 21-31. What happens when David and his men return to those who stayed behind? (21-22) What is David’s reply to those who did not wish to share the plunder with those who stayed behind? (23-25) What does David do when he reaches Ziklag? (26-31)
3-1) Read verses 21-31.
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.
3-2) What happens when David and his men return to those who stayed behind? (21-22)
22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
3-3) What is David’s reply to those who did not wish to share the plunder with those who stayed behind? (23-25)
23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
Fighters and supporters are equally shared.
God is blessing both of them to win victories. So the victory is purely God’s grace and mercy! So no one should claim that the victory was his own but be thankful toward each other.
3-4) What does David do when he reaches Ziklag? (26-31)
26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer,Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.
Here David further distributed his plunder to the elders of many cities.
It reminds us Jesus based on Ephesians 4:7
“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
In Conclusion)
After his time of backsliding among the Philistines, David made right relationship with the Lord as follows: He strengthened himself in the Lord his God. He inquired of the Lord. By faith, not by his thought (27:1) he did what God told him to do. He showed unexpected care and kindness to a slave. He saw it as the LORD’s victory. He shared the reward with others. David becomes a mature image of Jesus in this chapter. All these merits or great works stemmed from the Lord his God. Amen.
One word: his God.
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